SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Monday sentenced Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han to two years in prison for corruption charges.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the ruling against Han, widow of the church’s founder, Sun Myung Moon, according to the court's public affairs office.
She was arrested last year and charged with instructing church officials to bribe the wife of conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was in office at the time, and a high-profile politician close to Yoon.
She also was charged with embezzling church funds and ordering the destruction of evidence of her gambling activities in the United States.
In January, former first lady Kim Keon Hee received a 20-month prison term at the Seoul Central District Court for receiving gifts including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the Unification Church, which sought political favors from the Unification Church.
In April, an appeals court increased her sentence to four years in prison by convicting her of additional charges including receiving another Chanel bag from the church and stock price manipulation.
The presidential couple suffered a dramatic fall from grace after Yoon’s marital imposition in late 2024 that led to his impeachment and eventual removal from office.
Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han, on the wheelchair, arrives for the sentencing hearing on allegations of bribery and political funding, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han, on the wheelchair, arrives for the sentencing hearing on allegations of bribery and political funding, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open's Sunday start gives some players a chance to get a nice head start. For Novak Djokovic, it turned into a stunning head start back to the airport.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out in the first round of the U.S. Open for the first time, beaten by Mariano Navone of Argentina 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Djokovic was 19-0 in the U.S. Open first round and hadn't lost his opening match in any major since the 2006 Australian Open.
“It’s a good record, another one. But yeah, I’m not really thinking about it,” Djokovic said. “Of course, I’ve been very proud of all the achievements in the past, but now is now.”
And now the No. 4 seed and four-time champion in Flushing Meadows looks every bit of his 39 years, vomiting and battling leg problems during a match that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours.
“Now I have to recover,” Navone said. "It’s almost 12 o’clock.”
It made for a lengthy first day of play, with Venus Williams and fellow wild card Sofia Kenin not getting on the court until past midnight — after their match was set to move to another stadium but the players decided to wait and keep it in the main venue. Kenin beat the 46-year-old Williams 6-2, 7-6 (6).
Nearly 12 hours earlier, third-seeded Jessica Pegula again experienced the benefits of the Sunday start that began last year.
“It is a little bit weird, but I did kind of enjoy that I could breathe for the next couple of days and everyone else is still freaking out about whether they’re going to win their first round,” she said.
Djokovic later experienced the downside.
“We were just talking about it, and I said, it’s so nice to play on Sunday when you win. But if you lose it’s not nice, because you feel like the tournament didn’t even start and you’re out of it,” No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk said.
Pegula and Kostyuk both won easily and now the get the benefit of any extra day of rest before returning for the second round, where Pegula will play Kenin.
Pegula leads the women’s tour with 46 wins this season. She has two titles and has reached three other finals. Pegula can become No. 1 in the rankings if she wins her first major title and No. 2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semifinals.
The No. 11-seeded Kostyuk beat Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1 for a strong start to the year's final major after reaching the semifinals at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Some of the biggest headliners don’t begin until Monday. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka plays her opening match against Camila Osorio, before Carlos Alcaraz, who won his second U.S. Open title last year, plays his first singles match since April after recovering from a right wrist injury.
Past U.S. Open champions Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek, Sloane Stephens and Stan Wawrinka are also on the Monday schedule, along with Wimbledon women’s champion Linda Noskova and men’s contenders such as Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, shook off his miserable preparation for the tournament by beating Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The No. 7 seed was just 1-3 in the North American hard-court swing, usually a time he thrives.
“Last couple of weeks was not easy,” Medvedev said. “But I’m happy that today I managed to produce high-level tennis.”
Other winners Sunday included No. 9 Elina Svitolina, No. 19 Jasmine Paolini and No. 31 Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up. No. 27 seed Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, lost 7-6 (4), 6-2 to Kamilla Rakhimova.
American Tommy Paul, the No. 20 seed, bounced back from losing a first-set tiebreak to Coleman Wong to win 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Wong a year ago became the first man from Hong Kong to win an Open-era Grand Slam men’s singles match on the way to reaching the round of 32.
Seven matches couldn't be completed because of rain — and one was delayed even though it was being played in the other stadium with a retractable roof. There was a mechanical issue with one of the sensors at Louis Armstrong Stadium, and even after the roof finally closed, the court had to be dried before No. 15 seed Alexander Bublik beat J.J. Wolf.
Maric Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud both withdrew with injuries.
Though the main draws didn't begin until Sunday, action at the U.S. Open has already been going on for nearly a week. Large crowds gathered for the mixed doubles tournament, an exhibition headlined by Roger Federer's return to Flushing Meadows and the singles qualifying tournaments, with admission to the grounds free.
Fans who came for the first time Sunday may have noticed a tournament in transition. The U.S. Open is in the second year of a three-year renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The improvements in the $800 million project include the addition of some lower-level seating, upgrades and additions of entertainment areas and the construction of a player performance center.
“Please pardon our appearance while we are reimagining spectacular,” reads a sign above the entrance to Ashe.
The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2027 U.S. Open.
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Mariano Navone, of Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, returns the ball to Hugo Gaston, of France, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, reacts following a match against Storm Hunter, of Australia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, gestures after she defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse, of Romania, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns the ball to Elena-Gabriela Ruse, of Romania, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns the ball to Elena-Gabriela Ruse, of Romania, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Barbora Krejcikova, of the Czech Republic, returns the ball to Kamilla Rakhimova, of Uzbekistan, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jasmine Paolini, of Italy, reacts during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Veronika Erjavec, of Slovenia, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
